assailant

noun

as·​sail·​ant ə-ˈsā-lənt How to pronounce assailant (audio)
plural assailants
: a person who attacks someone violently
an assault by an unknown assailant
She could identify the assailant and his two accomplices, and she wanted to press charges.Jennifer Baumgardner
Detectives speculated that she may have been punched on the chin, perhaps knocked unconscious by her assailant.Joseph Wambaugh

Examples of assailant in a Sentence

the darkness prevented me from getting a good look at my assailant
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Cops released photos of an unknown assailant on Saturday who punched and slashed a straphanger in the face after an argument inside a Brooklyn subway station last month. Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 5 Jan. 2025 The media provide updates, profile victims, and explore how the assailant, U.S. citizen and Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar ... Matthew Continetti, National Review, 4 Jan. 2025 Meanwhile, the New Orleans incident killed 15 people, including the assailant, and injured about 30 more. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025 Image Background reading The attack left 15 dead and about three dozen injured, and followed a distressingly familiar pattern of assailants turning vehicles into weapons. Brendan Klinkenberg, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for assailant 

Word History

First Known Use

1523, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of assailant was in 1523

Dictionary Entries Near assailant

Cite this Entry

“Assailant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assailant. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

Legal Definition

assailant

noun
as·​sail·​ant ə-ˈsā-lənt How to pronounce assailant (audio)
: a person who commits criminal assault

More from Merriam-Webster on assailant

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